Assictfoe of ohe-hale to alwin c



' Nov 16 1926. 1,606,818

L. H. TIMMONS HUMIDIFIER Filed June 16. 1926 Li/Q day )7. Tim/220m.

Patented Nov. lb, i926.

tllall ihfi' d'ih i lilgi LINDSAY H. TIllZMONS, F DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF T0 ALWIN C.

LPEAIEFNER, DES MOINES,

HUMIDIFIER.

Application filed June 16, 1926.

An object of this invention is to provide improved means whereby water vapor may be added to and circulated with warm air used in the heating of buildings.

A further object of the invention is to provide means in combination with a warm air heater whereby the amount of water vapor supplied to and carried by the warm air from the heater may be regulated and controlled.

A further object of the invention is to providemeans in combination with a warm air heater whereby the amount of water vapor supplied to and carried by the warm air from the heater is automatically proportioned to the temperature of the heater.

A further object of the invention is to provide a humidifier for use with warm air ieaters wherein thermostat-controlled means are employed to regulate the flow of water to a vaporizing pan within said heater.

A further object of the invention is to provide ahumidifier for use with warm air heaters adapted for service connection with a pressure water supply.

A further object of the invention is to provide a humidifier for use with warm air heaters which is inexpensive, positive and automatic in action, adjustable and capable My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination or" elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawing in which- Figure l is a side elevation of my complete device as installed in a warm air heater for practical use, a portion only of a conventional heater being shown, partly in section. Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the indicated line 22 of Figure 1, the heater parts being omitted. Figure 3 is a top plan view of the water flow regulating devices and their actuating connections.

t is common knowledge that the heating of air to be circulated through a building results in a lowering of the humidity of the air so heated with consequent loss of heating efliciency and ill effect on the occupants of a building so warmed. Various means have been employed from time to time, in combination with warm air heaters, having as an object the supplying ot'water vapor to the air circulated through said heater, but such means have required freof easy installation in heaters already in use.

Serial No. 116,383.

quent attention and have not been fully automatic in operation, nor have such means made provision whereby the humidity limits might be easily regulated at will. and other objections are met and overcome These by the principles embodied in my device.

In the construction of the device as shown, the numeral 10 designates a side wall and the numeral 11 the top of the air chamber of a conventional warm air heater having a domed fire box as indicated by the numeral 1.2. A tubular standard or hollow pipe 13, threaded externally at its upper end is mounted vertically through the top plate 11, projects above said plate and has its lower end within the air chamber of the heater adjacent to and to. one side of the crown of the fire box 12. A flanged collar 14 is adapted to slip freely on the standard 13, with its flange resting onthe plate 11, said collar being provided with a set screw 15 adapted to adjustably position and hold said standard against vertical displacement relative to said collar. 16 has one end formed with a hole adapted A bracket to receive the standard 18, said end of the bracket engaging beneath the top plate 11 and collar 14, all of which are firmly bolted together by means of bolts 17 passing through registering holes 1n the flange of said collar, said top plate and the end of said bracket.

The bracket 16 extends from its attachment to the top plate 11 downwardly and away from the standard 13 across the dome of the fire box 12 to a point on the opposite side of the crown of said tire box from the end of said standard, at which point the bracket is bent back across said fire box toward said standard and terminates in an oil-set end formed with a hole adapted plan, is 'formed with webs 19 and 20 transversely of its open central portion and with a laterally extending curved 21 said arm terminating in an enlarged end portion 22 formed with an internally threaded bore adapted to receive and engage with the threaded upper end portion of the standard 13, whereby said frame may besupported above the plate 11 and laterally removed "from the upper end of said standard. nut 23 is screwed on the sandard .13 below the standard 13.

the boss 22 and is adapted to engage beneath said boss after the frame 18 has been positioned and lock the boss 22, arm

21 and frame 18 in position relative to A shaft 2 1, of somewhat greater length than the standard 13, is mounted for rotation within said standard and projects beyond the standard at either end. A lever arm 25 is formed with an apertured boss at one end and is provided with a hole at right angles to the axis of its boss adjacent its other 'end and is clamped to the projecting upper end of the.

shaft .24 bymeans of a set screw 26, so that the lower surface of the'boss of the lever arm bears against the upper surface of the boss 22 and the shaft is thereby positioned axially of the standard. A pipe 27 leads from any suitablesource of water supply to an elbow 28 threadedly engaged in one end of the frame' 18 with its open end toward the web "19. Holes are formed in the against a pin 81 carried by the'plunger, to

the end that saidplunger is normally maintained with its tapered end engaging "and closing the open end of the elbow 28. A pull rod32 is formed with ashort arm andanexternally threaded longer arm at right angles to each other, the shorterarm being loosely received in a vertical. hole adjacent the untapered end of the. plunger 29 and the threaded portion of the longer arm passing through the 'hole in the outer end of the lever arm 25 and carrying a wing-nut 33 adapted to bear against the outer face of said lever arm and position'said pullrod relative thereto. A. stop screw 34- is threaded through the end of the frame 18 opposite-to the elbow 28 and in alinement withthe axis'of the plunger 29, fsaidstop screw being 1 adapted to limit the '-'move-' chamber of the heater tea point above the crownof the tire box 12 where it is adapted to dischargeinto a relatively flat vaporizing pan 38, likewise of rust resisting mate rial, carried by the lower horizontal portion of the bracket- 16 in close proximity to said fire box. A bi-metallic thermostatic device of a coinon type, in this instance formed of concentric, interrupted circles of metals having different coefficients of expansion riveted or b lted together, is firmly bolted or otherwise secured to the vertical mid-portion of the bracket 16 in such manner asto surround the vaporizing pan 38 with the open ends of the interrupted circles ad acent and either side of the lower end of the stand (LU aid 13. The metal having the greater co ellicient of expansion, ,39, within the band 1 m l at end of the vertical shaft 24 to which the lever is clamped by means of a set screw l3 seated insaid hub. The radial armsof the toggle lever 42 are formed 'Wlllll holes near their outer ends adapted to receive the ends of heated pins passed through the eyes ll, whereby the ends of the thermostatic device are connected to the arms of-said toggle lever.

In the operation of my device, the component parts being assembled andconnected as shown in Figure 1, the wing nut 33 is manually ad usted to withdraw the plunger 29, slightly, from its seat in the elbow 28, thus permittinga continuous supplyofwater to flow from the pipe 27, elbow 28,-funnel 36, trap 37 and tube to the vaporizing pan 38, where the heat from the fire box vaporizes the water and the vapor thus formed is carried by the circulation of the heated air throughout the building and rooms served by the heater. The trap 37 provides against escape of the heated air and water vapor fromthe hot airchamber. The rate of flow thus obtained may be visa-- ally gauged by mens of the sight between the frame 18 and the funnel 236, and should be so adjusted as to furnish sui'licient water to maintain the desired humidity of the air at low heater temperature. the temperature of the heater increases, the thermostatic device tends to expand and further separate at its'ends.

of separation, by virtue of the connections hereinbefore recited, causes the to. clever to be rotated in proportion to the 39.11 or. of the thermostat, thereby rotating shaft 2d and consequently rotating the lever arm 25, which rotation withdraws the plunger 29 further from its seat in the ol bow 28 and permits a greater flow o filer to the vaporizing pan 38, thusmaintaining the desired humiditv in spite of the increase A toggle lever 42m formed with a w This tendency When 7 of heat and air circulation Asthe temperature of the heater decreases, the spring mounted vertically through the top of said heater, a frame fixed to and carried by said standard, water supply means connected with said frame, a spring pressed valve carried by said frame for controlling the flow of vater in said supply means, a vaporizing pan within said heater, water conducting means between said valve and pan, a heatexpansible device within said heater and rotatable means within said standard connecting' said heat-expansible device and valve whereby said valve may be actuated by the expansion and contraction of said device.

2. A humidifier in combination with a hot air heater, comprising a hollow standard, a frame fixed to and carried by said standard, water supply means connected with said frame, a spring-pressed valve carried by said frame for controlling the flow of water in said supply means, a vaporizing pan within said heater, water conducting means between said valve and pan, a vertical shaft mounted for rotation within said standard and projecting above and below said standard, a lever arm on the upper end of said shaft, rotatable. therewith, and connected to said valve, a toggle lever on the lower end of said shaft and a heat-expansible device within said heater and connected with said toggle lever.

8. In a device of the character described, a hollow standard, a frame fixed to and carried by the pper end of said standard, wafor supply means connected with said frame independently of said standard, a valve seat on the end of said water supply means, a spring-pressed valve carried by said frame and adapted to register with said seat, a, vaporizing pan beneath said valve, water conducting means between said valve and pan, together with heat-ezrpansible means and connections through d whereby said valve may be actl perature changes.

ted by term 41:. In device of the character described havino hollow standard, a frame carried standard said standard, a lever arm fixed to the upper end of said shaft,adjustable connections com the end. of said lever arm and said i ve, atoggle leverfixed to the lower end extraneously of said shaftand consaid toggle lever, whereby said may be rotated by temperature effecting said heat-expansible derotation. within said standard, a lever arm fiKGCl to and rotatable with said shaft, apull rod adiustably connecting said valve plunger and lever arm, together with thermostat controlled means whereby said shaft be rotated by and in proportion to temperature changes effecting said thermostat.

6. In a device of the character described, an automatic valve comprisinga substantially rectangular frame, webs transversely of the open central portion of said frame, a valve seat at one end of said frame, a valve plunger slidinggly mounted through said webs and adapted to register with said seat, an expansive coil spring surrounding said plunger and confined between one of said webs and a pin carried by said plungan adjustable stop screw in the end of said frame opposite from said valve seat means connecting said plunger with a lever whereby said plunger may be withdrawn from said seat against the pressure spring.

7. lln humidifier in combination with a hot heater, having a vaporizing pan within said heater and a water flow control valve without said heater, a vertical standard mounted through the top of said heater and supporting; said control valve, a bracket fixed to said heater and standard and supporting); said vaporizing pan, together with water conducting means between said pan and valve, said means comprising a funnel beneath and spaced from said valve, an S-shaped tube forming a trap beneath said funnel and a tube passing through a. wall of said heater to connect said trap and vaporizing; pan.

8. In a humidifier in combination with a hot air heater, a hollow standard extending wi hin and without said heater, a frame on said standard without said heater, water si ply and control means carried by said X7316, a supporting bracket for said stand ard within said heater, a vaporizing pan supported by said bracket, connections for water flow between said supply means and pan, and thermostat-operated connections "Yd shaft, a heat-expansible device sup-z;

through said standard whereby said control means be actuated by temperature I heater, Water supply and Water flow control mounted Vertically through the top of said means carried by said standard Without said heater, vaporizing"- means and a thermostatic control device positioned from saidstandard 'witliin'salcl heater-and connections, operalole by sald thermostatic device through "said standard for adjusting and regulating the water'flow control means automatically.

'10. The combination of a hot air heater and "a humidifier comprising a hollow standard mounted vertically through top "of said heater and having a fixed member including a Water flow control Valve on lts uppe'r end,

a thermostatic device, a ertical shaft toggle connected at it's lower end to said ther I110Sl32tt10 device and extending through and above said standard, an arm fixed to the upper endof said shaft and connections between the end of said arm and said control valve whereby the flow/of Water through said valve is proportioned to the temperature of'the heater.

* Signed at Des Moines, in the county of Polka-rid State of Iowa, this 11th day of 'June, 1926.

LINDSAY TIMMONS- 

